Sooner or Later
by theyhadadate
Summary: Tick tock goes the clock, even for the Doctor...
1. Prologue

**_Welp. So I'll be working on this and Gold Star right now, and these two only._**

**_Disclaimer: PLEASE. I wish.  
><em>**

"Alright, Ponds, where do you want to go?" The Doctor whirled on them, grinning from ear to ear. Never mind that they had just escaped from a minotaur and a very grumpy carnivorous lion, the Doctor wanted to have fun. "Anywhere, this time, your choice, I won't suggest anything!" He stopped for a second, thinking that over. "Although I know a planet with wonderful custard…"

"Somewhere warm and not dangerous!" Amy ran a hand through her messy hair, sitting on Rory's lap. The two looked rather frazzled, dirt smudges everywhere and tangled messes. "But I think we can only get that first part, with our track record."

"You're probably right." The Doctor turned back to the console, drumming his fingers absently. "So, then, where to?" He mulled over several options. There was always Clom, or Raxacoricofallapatorius, or Barcelona, or Rome! The planet, obviously. They have blue sand and red water and it's quite sunny." He could see Amy mulling the last option over. Of course, he neglected to mention that they had seventy types of custard there. He would be enjoying that on his own. They had banana custard and cream cheese custard and chocolate custard and several very exotic types as well. "So, then Ponds… Where to?"

Rory shifted awkwardly. "Rome sounds nice." He looked at Amy. "What do you think, Amy?"

"Rome, then."

"Alright, Doctor, Rome." Rory glanced at the Time Lord quickly.

"Of course you'd want to go to Rome, wouldn't you, Rory the Roman?" The Doctor grinned at them and danced around the console, pulling levers and spinning things. The TARDIS shook, Amy and Rory hanging onto each other for dear life. "GERONIMO!"

**_It'll get very bad very quick. _**

**_Reviews are like sunshine and roses!  
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	2. Chapter 1

**_Alright, this is actually a decent second chapter. Technically the first. BUT WHATEVER. DERP._**

**_I also made a Tumblr for my fanfiction. The URL is theyhadadate (the same as my username) so just add that on!_**

**_Alright, on with the story! (Apologizing ahead of time. I'm terrible at writing for River. /weeps)_**

**_Disclaimer: I really wish.  
><em>**

Amy laid on the beach towel, soaking up the sun next to Rory. This was definitely one of the nicest planets they had visited so far; the locals were quite friendly and open. Amy sat up slightly, propping herself on her elbows. "Let's go swim, Rory." She rolled onto her side to smile at him coyly.

"The water is red…" Rory glanced at it warily.

"Well, the Doctor told us that, now let's go!" Amy got up and pulled Rory to his feet, laughing. "Come on, Rory, please?"

Rory followed his wife into the water. "It's cold!" he yelped, running out as Amy attempted to splash him. He made a face at her.

"Oi, get back here!" She chased after him, shrieking and trying to drag him back to the water.

After a few minutes, both were playing in the water, splashing each other and laughing. Rory paused for a second. "Hey, where'd the Doctor go?"

"Who knows, Rory." Amy shrugged. "Maybe he saw an old friend here or something…."

-o-o-o-

The Doctor relaxed in his chair, dipping the fish fingers into the green bowl of tapioca custard. He hadn't been too sure on this type; it looked like little brown balls of jelly floating in blue custard. It actually tasted rather… fantastic. It was sweet and tapioca-y. Of the ten custards he'd tried today, this was one of the better ones. He was tempted to try the cream cheese one next.

"Hello, sweetie."

The Doctor knew that voice. He knew that voice oh so very well. He didn't turn, but simply used the fish finger to motion to the empty chair opposite him. He noticed her move towards the chair out of the corner of his eye, and smiled at her as she sat down. "Hello, River." He motioned towards the bowl. "Want some?"

River raised an eyebrow. "What in the world is that?"

"Tapioca custard and fish fingers."

She shook her head. "That is disgusting, Doctor. Really."

"It's good!"

"That's gross."

"Whatever you say, River." The Doctor shrugged, unfazed, and continued to dip the fish into the custard while River watched in morbid fascination. He stopped for a second. "What're you doing here?"

"Rome is a place where most people come to relax. Why not?" River tilted her head, giving the Doctor a skeptical look. "I'm assuming that they're down at the beach?"

"Yep." The Doctor knew she was talking about Amy and Rory; who else would it be? "They wanted a planet with no running away." He shrugged slightly, leaning forward. "And I know you, River; this isn't just a vacation for you."

"What if it is, Doctor?" She looked at him coyly, leaning forward as well. "What if I just wanted to take a break?"

He smiled at her. "Oh, River. You don't ever take breaks."

-o-o-o-

"Have you found him yet?" The blonde hovered over the man's shoulder, tapping her foot impatiently. She hated waiting. She really did. "Ads will be grumpy if we don't find him soon."

"You try tracking that damn box, Lor." The man spun around in his chair, running a hand through short brown hair in frustration. "I've been looking for two weeks now, and I haven't come up with anything." He stood up, placing his hands on the blonde's shoulders reassuringly. "But give me another day. I might have an idea, Lor."

"You better. I really don't want to hear Ads complain." The blonde sighed heavily. "Not again."

-o-o-o-

"Listen, River, I need to go make sure Amy and Rory are alright." The Doctor stood quickly, his smile apologetic. "I'll be right back."

"No need, sweetie." River stood and moved to his side in one fluid motion. "I'll come with you."

"Is that really smart, River? I mean. I'm not sure if they're adjusted to the idea yet." The Doctor gave her a look.

"Oh, sweetie, they are."

-o-o-o-

"Glenn, what is that?" The blonde pointed at a beeping monitor. She pushed him aside, to his displeasure, and checked the readouts. "Glenn. I think…"

"I know." He looked over her shoulder quickly. "Should we tell Ads?"

"You think? This is her grudge."

"Then why do you get us involved?" Glenn pulled the blonde closer to him. "Why are we part of this, Lorraine?"

"For monetary reasons, Glenn, you know that." Lorraine stroked his cheek. "Quicker we help Ads finish this, quicker we go and live normal lives somewhere."

-o-o-o-

"There you are Doctor!" Amy smiled up at the Time Lord, who raised an eyebrow. "Oh. Hello River." Awkward silence.

"Hello." River cracked a small smile.

The Doctor glanced between mother and daughter. "Sooooo…."

"So what, Doctor?" Rory glanced between the other three. "What now?"

"Oh, nothing, Rory! I'm just breaking the awkward silence here." The Doctor watched as Amy stood, standing across from River. "Amy, did you know they have all types of custard here? It's delicious. They even have tapioca custard, and it's very sweet and tasty."

Amy nodded absently. "Well... yeah, that's nice, Doctor." She gulped. "So, what're we going to do?"

The Doctor shrugged. "I came to check on you two, but I should go check on the TARDIS."

"I'll go with you." River finally tore her eyes away from Amy and gave the Doctor a stunning smile.

"No no, I'll go alone." The Doctor was already backing away, the blue sand crunching under his feet. "I'll be right back!"

"Should we really be letting him go alone?" Rory looked at his wife and daughter in concern.

"No." River shook her head. "We probably shouldn't."

-o-o-o-

The Doctor ducked back into the alley where he had parked the TARDIS. "You alright, old girl?" he asked softly, laying a hand gently on the police box. "I'm worried about them. They're going to leave me soon." He sighed quietly. "I don't want to be alone."

"Oh, what a sentimental statement for someone who ended worlds."

**_GAH TUMBLR STOP BEING A COCKBLOCK FOR STEGGY._**

**_Ugh. Tumblr being fart._**

**_^_^ Reviews are love!  
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	3. Chapter 2

**_Tick tock, Doctor, tick tock. ._._**

**_Disclaimer: Nope.  
><em>**

The Doctor turned quickly to face the person, only to find a gun pointed directly at him. He huffed slightly, irritated. "What, can't a Time Lord go on vacation without having a gun pointed at him? Who are you, anyway?" He blinked, examining his confronter. Glossy black hair was twisted into a neat bun, a few tendrils of hair framing a fair skinned face. Brown eyes full of anger locked onto green eyes. "I said, who are you?"

"That is none of your business." The woman's voice wavered, but stayed upset. "You're the Doctor," she said scornfully. Disgust filled her to the core.

"Yes, I'm the Doctor, now, what do you want with me?" The Doctor's hand moved slowly towards his sonic. The woman noticed, shooting at the Doctor's feet then swinging the gun back up to the Doctor. The Time Lord jumped slightly. "What was that for?"

"Keep your hands down."

The Doctor wasn't exactly sure what to do; someone had to have heard that shot! _I should've let River come with me, I should've let River come with me… _He rephrased his question. "Why are you pointing a gun at me?"

"You destroyed my planet, Doctor. I would return the favor, but you did it yourself."

-o-o-o-

Amy flopped back down on her towel. "Should we go check on him? It never takes him this long to check on the TARDIS unless something… unless something happens." She looked worriedly at Rory, who glanced at River, who looked back at Amy. "Should we?"

"He's the Doctor, he'll be alright." Rory tried to sound confident. He failed miserably. "We'll give him a few more minutes. Maybe he ran into an old friend, like you said, Amy." He cracked a small smile. "What do you think Mel- I mean, River. River."

River glanced at him. "Five minutes."

-o-o-o-

The Doctor felt it; guilt. Overwhelming guilt for his planet. His gaze fell to the floor as he took a deep breath, shuddering. It filled the woman's heart with murderous joy. It would make up for everything if she killed him here and now, at the Doctor's weakest. But she wanted him to suffer. She wanted him to suffer for the lives of her family and friends. "How does it feel, Doctor?" she whispered softly. "To know you ended worlds. Billions of lives. Innocent lives."

He didn't answer. It frustrated her. She wanted a reaction.

She tried again. "You killed your family. Your friends. Everyone you know is dead because of you. How does that make you feel?"

The Doctor glanced at the woman again. "Who. Are. You." His voice stayed steady, though there was an undercurrent of pain. "Who are you?"

"The one who's going to kill you." And she pulled the trigger.

-o-o-o-

"It's been five minutes." Amy had pulled her sundress back on over her bathing suit. "Let's go check on him." She gathered up her things quickly, as did Rory. "You remember where he parked, right?"

Rory nodded. "Come on." He started towards the town, Amy and River trailing behind him. "It was one of these alleys, right?" He pointed at three alleyways. "I don't remember which one it is."

Amy pushed ahead of him. "It's that-" her words were cut off by a gunshot. The group glanced at each other and ran towards the sound of the gunshot.

The Doctor lay on the floor, a bullet wound in his stomach. He was unconscious, and there was nobody around. The three ran over to the Doctor, Rory immediately putting his nursing skills to work, trying to apply pressure to the wound. River opened the TARDIS doors and rushed them inside, slamming the door shut.

"Rory, what do we do!" Amy panicked over the Doctor.

"Hold this down, Amy, hard as you can." Rory moved aside so Amy could put pressure on the wound with the towel. He looked at River. "River. There has to be some type of infirmary or something in here."

She nodded quickly. "Yes, there is."

"Come on, show me." Rory took charge and followed River out quickly, leaving Amy alone with the Doctor.

Tears fell from her eyes. "Not again, Doctor, please." She put as much pressure as she could. "Please."

The redhead looked brokenly at the Doctor's face, gasping softly as his eyes fluttered open. "Amy?" he croaked quietly.

"Shh. We have you. Rory and River have gone to the infirmary." She applied a little more pressure, using one hand to move the Doctor's messed up hair out of his face. "It's going to be okay."

The Doctor shook his head slightly. "No." He winced slightly. "I'm going to regenerate."

"But…" Amy frowned. "What about…"

"Amy. You need to back away." The Doctor struggled to a sitting position. "Go."

"Doctor-"

"No, Amy." He looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head brokenly, tears spilling down her cheeks. "You're still my raggedy doctor," she choked out as she backed away.

"Always."

-o-o-o-

River led Rory to the infirmary, frowning deeply. "What are you doing?"

"We need to find something to stanch the bleeding." Rory rushed around, searching for supplies.

"Why?"

He stopped abruptly, turning to stare at her. "To save his life."

"He'll regenerate." River looked sure of herself. "He has to."

"What if he doesn't?" Rory started back into motion again. He picked up some things quickly and brushed past his daughter, who turned to look at him, a tortured look on her face… like she knew.

-o-o-o-

Amy backed up onto the steps, tears still streaming down her face. Hazel eyes stayed locked on green as she stopped at the top of the stairs, clinging to the rails in tears.

It was starting. The golden glow surrounded the Doctor, and Amy threw up her hand to block the light. She dropped it, squinting. She wouldn't turn away from the Doctor now.

"Amy, what's happening?" Rory's voice came from behind her. He started down the stairs.

"He's regenerating." Amy threw an arm out to prevent Rory from going to the Doctor. River trotted up behind them, and the trio watched until the light died. The Doctor was curled up in a ball on the floor.

Amy took a hesitant step towards the Doctor, taking Rory's hand. "Do you think the Doctor's alright?" Rory whispered over to Amy.

"I dunno," she whispered back, but before she could say anything else the Doctor groaned and stood up, back to them.

"Well then!" The Doctor exhaled, running a tongue over new teeth. "Oi, new teeth. Weird. Oh, and arms! Good. Good." Eyes shifted downward. "Oh, and legs. Good, I have legs." Hands went up to touch a new face. "Two eyes, oh, what a nose. Ears, ears…"

Amy frowned, leaning over to Rory. "Rory. Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"I really hope not."

The Doctor continued a rather strange inspection. "Oh, hair! Wait. Wait. I'm a girl!" She pulled the hair in front of her eyes.

"I'm a girl and not ginger!"

**_BAHAHAHA. YOU WILL NEVER BE GINGER DOCTAH! _**

**_Reviews are loveeee!  
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	4. Chapter 3

**_I hope people are actually liking this story... _**

**_Has anyone seen the God Complex yet? Dear god. Epic tears. _**

**_Disclaimer: Noooooo.  
><em>**

The Doctor spun around quickly to face Amy, Rory, and River, a bright smile on her face. "See, Amy, I'm perfectly fine!" She laughed brightly. "I told you I'd be fine!"

"No, you just told me you would regenerate." Amy let go of Rory, taking a tentative step towards the Doctor. "It's… different."

"Good different or bad different?" The Doctor frowned.

"Different." Rory stepped forward to Amy's side, looking the Doctor up and down. He could feel a headache coming on.

"I'm not ginger." The Doctor pouted a bit. "Every time. Rude and not ginger!"

The trio could barely hold back a laugh, and the Doctor joined them. "This is going to be weird," Amy said, her laughs and sobs subsiding. "You're a girl now, Doctor!"

"There is nothing wrong with that!" The Doctor grumbled at her companion, then shrugged. "Oh well. How do I look?"

"You look… nice." Amy wasn't exactly sure how to act with this Doctor. "Last time you regenerated you needed to eat after. Should I…"

"Yes, please." The Doctor smiled gratefully at her. "I'm going to go change." She started up the stairs, giving River a sweet glance.

River breathed a sigh of relief. "You're going to finally get rid of the bow tie?" she asked, turning to stare after the Doctor.

"No! Bow ties are cool!"

-o-o-o-

Amy quickly left the Console Room, heading straight towards the kitchen. It was like being a child again. She didn't know what this new Doctor would like, so she made all types of food.

She hesitated over the fish fingers and custard, but made it quietly. She was lost in her thoughts; she didn't even hear Rory and River come in until River said something about bow ties. She turned. "Please tell me the Doctor is getting rid of the bow tie."

"I don't know." River sat down at the table, sighing. "I hope so. We could always burn them."

"You are NOT burning my bow ties!" The Doctor strode into the kitchen. "I'm keeping those."

Amy smiled slightly. "You look nice, Doctor." A white long sleeved collared cotton shirt and a brown skirt looked beautiful on her. "Although the converse…"

"Oi. Converse are cool."

"Doctor, I thought you stopped wearing converse after your tenth incarnation." River looked at the Doctor with a skeptical frown. "Did you have to dig them out?"

"Yes."

-o-o-o-

Twenty minutes later, they all found out what the Doctor liked. A bowl of custard sat in the middle of the table, everybody seated around it. Fish fingers were being dipped and eaten.

"Still tastes delicious." The Doctor was on her second plate already. "Utterly delicious." She smiled happily. "So, then, Ponds. Where to?"

Amy looked at Rory, then River. "Doctor, if it's alright with you…."

"We'd like to go home for a little bit." Rory finished her sentence. The Doctor stopped eating for a second and looked at the two.

"I knew this day was coming," she said sadly. "You guys are going to go home and leave."

"No no no!" Amy shook her head vehemently. "Just for a little bit."

"No. You'll leave. And I'll be alone again." The Doctor gave them a look. "A girl and her blue box, off to see the universe. Always just us two, eh, old girl?"

"No, Doctor, really-" Amy made to argue the point, but Rory put a hand on her arm and shook his head. She sighed. "Just. Do you mind, Doctor?"

"Not at all, Pond. Not at all."

-o-o-o-

"Alright, you have your things?"

"Doctor, we're not leaving forever."

"Just saying."

"But yes, we're ready."

"Alright then." The Doctor pushed herself off the console, flicking switches and pulling levers. The TARDIS shuddered and groaned, flying through the Time Vortex. River clung onto a stairwell, as Amy and Rory held onto the console. A crash and a shudder. "Alright, we're here."

Amy grabbed her bag and took Rory's hand, squeezing it lightly. "Come on, you, let's go sleep." The two started towards the front door, dropping their bags there. The Doctor and River followed behind. Amy opened the door. Sun filtered in, a light breeze tousling their hair. She turned back to the Doctor. "See you soon Doctor. Take care of yourself." She threw her arms around the other.

"Take care, Pond." The Doctor smiled and hugged Rory too, while Amy said goodbye to River. "Take care, Rory the Roman." She chuckled slightly. "Take care."

"You too, Doctor." Rory grabbed his bags and stepped out, Amy following suit. The Doctor leaned on the doorway, River barely visible behind her.

"Good bye, Ponds."

-o-o-o-

The Doctor leaned on the console, thinking. She wasn't sure what to do now. It was just River and her in the TARDIS, no Amy, no Rory. "River?"

"Mhm?"

"Anywhere particular you want to go?" The Doctor spun to look at her. "I can't think of anywhere right now."

" Hm. 1938, perhaps?" River stood up, smiling and crossing over to the Doctor. "I pulled random numbers from the air."

"You never do anything, random, River darling. You always have some type of ulterior motive." The Doctor chuckled and turned back to the console.

"You're right, Doctor."River cracked a small smile before using her gun to smack the Doctor over the head and knock her out. "Ulterior motives are my specialty."

**_FOR THE RECORD I like River. I just don't ship her and the Doctor._**

**_Review please. I really don't know how I'm doing with this story and I'm kind of flying by the seat of my pants here!  
><em>**


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